Burning Cinders Novels & Stories

This spell is underwhelming but effective. Opening my eyes, I see the candles snuff out one by one as the center bowl sets alight and self-combusts in a little implosion. A puff of fire and smoke, a flash of tiny sparks, and then it burns out to an ember, and the smoke turns blue, before it fades away. Almost gentle in its power, given the importance of its task.

The crackling fire cast a warm, flickering glow across the campsite, its flames dancing with an almost mesmerizing rhythm. The sound of burning wood was a symphony of popping and hissing, Sparks burst forth intermittently, ascending into the darkness like fiery stars before fading into oblivion.

"The people won't thank you for this. By sunset, you won't be their 'Alpha' anymore. You’ll be their jailer." ​Leo didn't look back. He flew the skiff back toward the Spire, the green canopy of the city looking smaller, more fragile than it had that morning. The "Glass Peace" was the most dangerous weapon the Directorate had ever fired. It hadn't hit the walls; it had hit the heart. ​As he landed at the Spire, he saw the torches in the Gutter. He heard the chants. The Republic of Cinders was burning, but for the first time, the fire was coming from the inside.

I cannot burn. Walking into the flames, as my garments reduce to ash, I am soon clothed in nothing more than my scales. Reaching out with my senses, I try to find the edges of the fire. It is expansive, bigger than I was expecting, stretching almost back to the treeline and starting to wrap around the castle, into the village below, following the path of the Starfire jasmine that was in full bloom at the beginning of the Faire. Now dry and fragile, it makes a perfect kindling to the flames as they lick their way into the shops and homes of the common folk downhill.

“I was waiting for you.” Dominic pulled him close. “Never again.” --- But as they rose, a new explosion rocked the lower floors. The ceiling cracked. Dust rained down. Dominic shielded Matteo with his body. Above them, voices shouted. A final wave. “Can you walk?” Matteo nodded, barely. “Then run.” They moved through the fire. Together. ---

“He’s feeding our enemies.” I nod, voice low. “And he’s doing it under my family’s name.” Something shifts in his expression, probably pity, maybe, or understanding. But it’s gone before I can place it. “We burn this place,” he says finally. “Every piece of it.” I don’t argue. Together, we light the fires using oil and gunpowder turning the sky black. The flames rise high, licking the night, devouring the last of Kael’s empire piece by piece.

Carla and Travis watched from the sidelines, hands clasped. “We did it,” Carla said, her voice steady. Travis nodded. “And we’re just getting started.” The scars remained, but they were no longer wounds. Dave, Carla, and the other victims were healing, not just surviving but thriving, their journeys a testament to resilience, love, and the unyielding power of talent reclaimed. ----- This marks the end of the Burning Embers: Scorching Tales of Desire. Compiled short story arcs now made their way to their ends. See you next time. There'll be more ahead. Thank you!

"With the letters and the first published piece and the pressed flower and your note from the oil. The full table goes in the box." "Yes," Dante said. "It's family," she said. "That's what the box means. And the full table is family. So it goes in." "Yes," he said. She drank her coffee. Outside the Cardiff garden was doing its December thing — grey and green and patient, the wisteria against the south wall doing its invisible work, the future being built underground by something that had decided what it was going to do and was doing it. "Merry Christmas, Dante," she said.

END OF FLASHBACK Mrs Young, with the great eagle she had never gave up easily. The thought of Taylor disobeying her wishes made her even more furious. She gave out a heavily sigh, and walked into her two sons company, lost in her thoughts thinking of ways not to lose such influential business partners, It was almost like gambling with her life when ever she meant business.

Stefan raged. “It's now automatic, all you need to do is walk through the flames,” The flames were blazing high, filled with wrath and anguish, Cerberus knows that's the only fire that can burn the flesh off our bodies, turning our bones to ash, “How are we going to do that? You know what will happen if we go near it,”